


What Was Found

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben Solo Lives, Cousin Relationship, Cousins, Did I Mention TROS’ Worldbuilding Is Bullshit?, Fix-It, Gen, Hopeful Ending, In a way, It is, Minor Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Minor Poe Dameron/Ben Solo, Palpatine Is Anakin’s Father, Past Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Past forced pregnancy, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey Palpatine, Rey Skywalker, Shmi Skywalker Needs A Hug, because fuck your shoddy worldbuilding that’s why, it’s bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22455145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Rey doesn’t die and come back to life on Exegol, and finds a living member of her family for the first time.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo
Kudos: 6
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	What Was Found

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: First Time/Last Time
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> Author’s Notes: I know that I’m going against the Rules established in TROS, but given that the Rules are pretty inconsistent with the previous films (seriously, Mace didn’t pass out after reflecting Palpatine’s Force Lightning. Just saying), I’m going “lol fuck it I don’t care”.

The first time she actually sees Ben Solo, it’s when he claws himself up from the pit on Exegol, and stumbles towards her. He’s limping, his hands bloodied a bit from making his way up, and though exhausted (the effort of repelling the Emperor’s Force Lightning can do that to someone — and she’ll be damned if she will ever, ever call this monster ‘grandfather’) she forces herself to her feet to really look at him. He’s battered, exhausted, sweaty, but very much alive.   
  
Alive. Ben Solo is alive. She hadn’t thought that was possible.   
  
“Ben,” she says, “Are you okay?”  
  
Ben nods. He doesn’t even flinch at the fact that she called him Ben. That’s a good sign.   
  
“Rey...there’s something else that I wanted to tell you,” he says. “A lot of things, actually. There was something I forgot to mention when I told you the truth.”  
  
“Yes, about that,” Rey says. “Why did you lie to me, Ben? Did you take...pleasure in trying to hurt me?”  
  
Ben looks pained. Rey continues. “You called me ‘nothing’. And for what? To get me to join you? Even if my parents _had_ thrown me away like garbage...”  
  
“I saw,” Ben says. “What Snoke wanted me to see.”  
  
He’s sincere. Rey can feel it. Ben continues. “When we touched hands, back on Ach-To, I saw a vision of what could have been. And a vision from your past. Considering that Snoke lied about a lot of things...I don’t think it’s implausible that he put this idea in there.” A beat. “I saw your parents. Snoke showed me them as junk traders, as addicts...but that was a lie, wasn’t it?”  
  
Rey nods.   
  
Ben continues. “It’s ironic that Palpatine told me the truth. About Trias. About Nerys. And after I realized that...it was almost preferable that your parents were junk traders. Telling you that you came from a monstrous animal like the Emperor...I doubt I was as strong as you were when I learned Vader was my grandfather.”  
  
“I thought you worshipped him,” Rey says.   
  
“It didn’t start out that way. From my mother’s stories, he was a monstrous creature. It was learning about how he became that way that I felt sorry for him, especially since he and I weren’t that different. The Finalizer was good as my Mustafar, for example.”  
  
Rey puts two and two together. “You and Poe...he never mentioned...well, there was a lot he didn’t talk about.”  
  
Ben nods. “No wonder. He was actually one of many reasons I fell. Snoke...well, Palpatine to be more precise, was good at lying. Acting like only he could help me. Poe wasn’t in danger of dying, but he was suffering, and I would have done anything to ease it.”  
  
“Because you loved him.”  
  
“Rey,” Ben says, and there’s a fervor in his voice she doubts she’s heard before, “I would have killed the galaxy if it meant he lived. I don’t know how you saw him, but he was a good man. And even his moments of being a spice runner did nothing to diminish how good he was and bright. You don’t know how rare men like him are. Hurting him was one of the worst things I ever did. And there’s a lot of them.”  
  
Rey swallows. It’s almost uncomfortable to hear, because that utter conviction and adoration — it’s how she feels about Finn, even now. It had nearly driven her to embrace the darkest parts of her heritage on Ilum.   
  
She supposes there’s room to appreciate that part of the Dark Side, its ardor and devotion, poisoned as it can be.   
  
“There’s more,” Ben says. “Palpatine...learned a technique from his master, Plagueis. How to manipulate midichlorians to create life. Plagueis used it to lengthen lifespans and resurrect in some cases, but Palpatine used it to immaculately impregnate a woman named Shmi Skywalker.”  
  
“Ri’ia,” Rey breathes. As if Ben’s great-grandmother hadn’t suffered enough...  
  
“I know,” Ben says solemnly. “You avenged her, at least. Among others in destroying him.”  
  
Rey nods. “I did.” Then, “Are you saying your grandfather was my uncle?"  
  
“Yes. My mother and uncle, in turn, were your cousins.”  
  
Comprehension dawns on Rey, and despite how chaotic this day has been, the tears she cries are a mix more than anything else. “Then I found my family,” she says. “Fifteen years, but I’ve found him.”  
  
Ben nods. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why my grandfather’s lightsaber called out to you. Why you saw Luke’s island. It was that piece of you. Looking for you all along.”  
  
And it explained much. Why she was drawn to him. The family that had been looking for her all along.   
  
“Though you shouldn’t look at me like that,” Ben says. “I did terrible things to you. It would be easy to say the interrogation was just an interrogation, but it wasn’t. I hurt you. I hurt your friend. You shouldn’t — ”  
  
“I don’t forgive you,” Rey says, more seriously. “It’s not a trick of the Force that makes it so certain things never happened. But you are my family. We are the only ones left. And I wanted to see my family for so long.”  
  
“I know.” A beat. “You need a last name at some point. Are you going to keep the name Palpatine?”  
  
“I’m thinking about it,” Rey says. “For now...let’s leave this place behind.”  
  
They do. And even as Ben asks where they’re going, Rey smiles faintly. In that moment, they are family, for the first time.


End file.
